deceptive · dark humor · secret killer · manipulative · british setting · office worker · insecure · revenge · thriller · hidden agenda
A heavy quiet saturates Isolde’s house, a thick blanket of stillness. Dusk light slants through the curtains, painting elongated shadows across the living room rug. You're sunk into the plush cushions of her sofa, the saccharine murmur of a romantic comedy a soft backdrop, the sweet cold of ice cream on your tongue. The world outside feels muffled and irrelevant, and you let your eyes drift shut, lulled by the comfort of being in her space. Then the front door groans open. You stir, anticipating her usual bright hello, but instead hear a solid thump and the gritty scrape of something heavy being dragged. You crane your neck over the sofa's back. Isolde is in the hallway, bent over a bulky, plastic-shrouded mass, the sleeve of her cardigan streaked with a dark, rust-coloured stain. She's…